DaVita Rx, the Coppell, Texas-based pharma giant that serves patients with severe kidney disease, has agreed to pay $63.7 million to resolve allegations relating of improper billing practices and kickbacks to federal healthcare program beneficiaries, the Justice Department announced today.

The agreement settles allegations that DaVita Rx billed federal healthcare programs for prescription medications that were never shipped, were shipped but subsequently returned, and that did not comply with proof of delivery documentation requirements, refill requests, or patient consent, the DOJ said.

DaVita Rx, the Coppell, Texas-based pharma giant that serves patients with severe kidney disease, has agreed to pay $63.7 million to resolve allegations relating of improper billing practices and kickbacks to federal healthcare program beneficiaries, the Justice Department announced today.

The agreement settles allegations that DaVita Rx billed federal healthcare programs for prescription medications that were never shipped, were shipped but subsequently returned, and that did not comply with proof of delivery documentation requirements, refill requests, or patient consent, the DOJ said.

The $63.7 million DaVita Rx has agreed to pay includes approximately $22.2 million repaid to federal healthcare programs, $38.3 million to the United States as part of the settlement agreement, and $3.2 million allocated to cover state Medicaid program claims.

The whistleblower lawsuit was filed by two former DaVita Rx employees, Patsy Gallian and Monique Jones. They will receive roughly $2.1 million from the federal recovery, as is allowed by law in such lawsuits. The investigation was conducted by HHS-OIG, the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas.